In preparation for the release of the console – which is said to be getting a release within the next 12 months – we’ve decided to look back at some of the very best games from the heyday of the original console and have selected 20 of the very best games we want to see ported to the Mega Drive Mini.

So, in no particular order, let’s begin …

20

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (1992)

It’s a given that the original Sonic the Hedgehog will appear on the Mega Drive Mini, but we’d prefer to see the sequel in its place. With the addition of Tails, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was an early attempt by SEGA to create a co-op gaming experience and looked absolutely bloody fantastic.

19

STREETS OF RAGE 2 (1992)

Improving on everything that was wrong with the original, Streets of Rage 2 is arguably one of the greatest games in the entire SEGA back catalog, with great action sequences, enough weapons to make your parents nervous, and perhaps the coolest theme tune ever written. Hats off to you, Yuzo Koshiro!

18

MICKEY MANIA (1994)

AKA The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mania was a playable journey through the squeaky-voiced rodent’s animated history. Sequences including Steamboat Willie to Mickey and the Beanstalk were all lovingly recreated with some of the best 16-bit visuals we’d ever seen. Also, the Mega Drive port was the only complete version released outside of Japan, so it remains the definitive iteration of the game.

17

ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORS (1993)

You have to give LucasArts credit for being way ahead of the curve when it released this incredibly fun run-and-gun zombie shooter. Players could choose between one of two characters who find themselves in the unenviable position of saving their dumb ass neighbors from the herd of brain-munching monsters, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, and intergalactic pod people that have invaded the neighborhood.

You’d be hard-pressed to find any old school gamer that didn’t spend hours of their lives trying to complete all 48 stages without being eaten, abducted, or cut to pieces with chainsaws, and although it might be 25 years old it’s still one of the best zombie games available on any console.

16

MICRO MACHINES 2 (1994)

If like me and wondered what it would be like to live in the fantasy world of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, then you’ve probably considered how you’d go from being shrunk by a laser and lost in the garden, to becoming a driver in the smallest race cars ever designed. I mean, how else do you explain Micro Machines – the most inventive, and fun racing game of its time? The 1994 sequel had more tracks and even more cars to chose from and is widely regarded as a classic in its genre. It would be nice to see it turn up as a preloaded game.

15

EARTHWORM JIM (1994)

If you don’t want to revisit the antics of Jim, an ordinary Earthworm who finds a spacesuit and acquires awesome skills as a result, then you should just stop reading right now. Earthworm Jim is still one of the very best platformers ever released and is long overdue a follow-up.

14

SUPER STREET FIGHTER II (1993)

It doesn’t matter where you stand on the whole “Which console did it better – SNES or Mega Drive/Genesis” debate, Super Street Fighter II is simply the greatest arcade fighting game ever made, and the Mega Drive Mini would feel incomplete without it.

13

GHOULS N GHOSTS (1990)

Ghouls N Ghosts started life in the arcades, before making it onto home computers such as the Amstrad, and eventually onto the Mega Drive. It was a well-loved side-scroller but had an all-too-high price tag which ruled some gamers out for a number of years. Fortunately, we don’t need to worry about spending all of our pocket money on video games anymore, thanks to the Mega Drive Mini, and we’re sure Ghouls N Ghosts will be the top of the list for titles guaranteed to get ported.

12

PHANTASY STAR IV: END OF THE MILLENNIUM (1993)

Try though they might, SEGA never topped this top-down, turn-based RPG that had anime fans quite literally bukkake-ing their pants with joy.

11

ROAD RASH 2 (1993)

Modern day gamers will never know the glory of playing a racing game that allows you to punch the shit out of your fellow competitors and the police. That’s a real shame, so please SEGA, let them experience it on the Mega Drive Mini.

10

GUNSTAR HEROES (1993)

Don’t be fooled by the cartoon aesthetic, Gunstar Heroes by Treasure was an intense run-and-gun shooter that still looks incredible when you consider the limitations of 16-bit gaming.

9

NHL ’94 (1993)

Who cares about playing NHL on the Xbox One? NHL ’94 (released in 1993) is the definitive Ice Hockey sim, and as far as we’re concerned has never been topped. Don’t believe us? Just ask Kevin Smith.

Faceoff with your pals, challenge for the Stanley Cup and bask in the glory of a sports simulator that didn’t feel the need to be over complicated. EA should really look at why their 25-year-old Hockey game still gets so much love, but not before it get’s ported to the Mega Drive Mini.

8

OUT RUN (1991)

Yu Suzuki’s classic racer was a staple of the arcades before it landed on the Mega Drive in an almost carbon copy format. It remains one of the definitive racing games of its era and has an authentic retro look that screams ‘arcade classic’ right in your face, like a Ferrari Testarossa whizzing towards you at 100mph.

7

TMNT: THE HYPERSTONE HEIST (1992)

SEGA owners were robbed of the pure bliss that came from playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (1991) on their home console, but not all was lost as The Hyperstone Heist was as close a game as you could get and would definitely be worth revisiting on the Mega Drive Mini.

6

RISTAR (1994)

Ristar was great, it’s just a shame that the game came into being at the end of the Mega Drive/Genesis’ life as a console, soon to be replaced by the SEGA Saturn. As such, no one was willing to invest themselves in new games for a soon-to-be-defunct piece of hardware. So why not give Ristar a new lease of life on the Mega Drive Mini instead?

5

ALIEN 3 (1992)

Let’s not beat about the bush, Alien 3 was stupidly difficult. Therefore it is this writer’s wish to see the new generation of gamers experience the same frustrations we did 26 years ago with this infuriating – but cool – movie tie-in.

4

SHINING FORCE II (1993)

Shining Force 2 was an immersive tactical RPG that was one of the early 16-bit pioneers of the free-roaming, open-world format we’re so used to seeing today. It’s turn-based combat sequences were often painfully slow, but it didn’t matter as by that point you were already totally committed to seeing the campaign through to the bitter end, even if that end was weeks, months, or even years later.

Yep, that’s right, I’ve still not completed it.

3

TOEJAM AND EARL (1991)

There’s a ton of retro gaming heroes we’d like to see make a return to the modern era of gaming, and ToeJam and Earl – two alien rappers who find themselves stranded on the planet Earth – are high on that list.

It could be argued that the follow-up game, Panic on Funkotron was better but we’d just like to see this forgotten favorites make an appearance on the Mega Drive Mini.

2

SHINOBI III: RETURN OF THE NINJA MASTER (1993)

No list of games we’d like to see ported to the Mega Drive Mini would be complete without Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. Boasting an improved combat system, and end of level bosses including Godzilla’s skeleton, the 3rd Shinobi in the series set a pretty high standard for the franchise which it failed to top with any subsequent sequel. Return of the Ninja Master though still holds up to this day and would make a great addition to any console SEGA has in the pipeline.

1

MORTAL KOMBAT 2 (1993)

When Nintendo decided to censor the original Mortal Kombat video game, there was an outpouring of apathy from gamers. No one wanted to repeat this mistake when the sequel landed on shelves, and as such it passed completely uncut in the US – gore and all. This time around the public outcry came not from the 12-year-old kids playing the game, but instead their pissed off parents who weren’t too happy seeing little Jimmy and Peggy Sue sitting in their bedrooms disemboweling their enemies before school. A port to the Mega Drive Mini isn’t just necessary, it is essential, and in its true, bloody form.

Which games do you want to see ported to the Mega Drive Mini? Have your say in the comments section below, and be sure to like and share on Facebook and Twitter.